


Buttons Couldn't Save Him

by averywrites



Series: breaking hearts one minor character at a time [1]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, M/M, Multi, The Refuge, This is really sad, the fight from the musical, theres some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 17:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11673456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/averywrites/pseuds/averywrites
Summary: Henry and Jojo end up in the Refuge after the strike fails. Buttons tries to save them.





	Buttons Couldn't Save Him

**Author's Note:**

> warning for some violence, injuries, a blood mention, and an illness mention

Jojo grew up with nuns. They weren’t the worst, but they also weren’t the best. One wrong move meant one whack from a nun. Buttons couldn’t save him from the bruises, but he helped Jojo learn to accept himself and live without fear.

 

Henry’s dad was sick. The doctors tried to help him, but there was nothing left to do. Buttons couldn’t save him from the pain, but he gave Henry a shoulder to lean on in times of need.

 

The strike failed. They were beat up by the cops, the very people who were supposed to protect them. Crutchie was dragged off.  Buttons couldn’t save him. Jack witnessed his best friend screaming for him to help as he watched, helpless. Buttons couldn’t save him. Buttons fought next to Henry and Jojo for what seemed like hours. Jojo was arrested first. Buttons couldn’t save him. Henry was knocked unconscious then dragged off by another cop. Buttons couldn’t save him. He could only watch helplessly as his boyfriends were taken to what could be their demise. He spent hours sobbing until his throat was raw because _Buttons couldn’t save them._

 

The first thing Buttons did as soon as he woke up was find Specs. Every newsie knew Specs used his extra money to bring food, clothing, and blankets to the boys in the Refuge. Therefore, he was the perfect person to give Buttons instructions on how to get in and out without being caught. Buttons ran as fast as he could to the Refuge, the constant fear of not being able to save them on his mind.

 

It took six windows to find them. They were on the third floor. Just looking in the room made Buttons want to burst into tears. He saw Henry and Jojo laying together on the bottom bunk closest to the window. The bruises were easily spotted, even through the grimy window. Jojo’s leg was bent at an odd angle. The blood from the fight still stained their shirts. Buttons had never experienced heartbreak before, but he was sure it felt something like this.

 

“Henry! Jojo!” he exclaimed, knocking on the window. He put a smile on his face, wanting to give Henry and Jojo hope.

 

“Buttons!” Henry shouted, as well as he could with a hoarse throat.

 

“What are you doing here? You’ll get hurt!” Jojo said, anxiously glancing at the door on the other side of the room.

 

“I came to save you. I wouldn’t just leave you here,” Buttons stated as if it were obvious. His confident demeanor was somewhat diminished by the look Henry and Jojo shared, both knowing they couldn’t be saved.

 

“Come open the window so I can help you out,” Buttons insisted.

 

“My leg… I can’t walk,” Jojo whispered to Henry, noticeably in pain. Henry nodded with tears in his eyes and limped to the window, opening it as fast as he could with his various injuries.

 

“Well, come on Jojo. We’ve gotta go before Snyder comes in,” Buttons said, glancing helplessly between a tearful Henry and Jojo.

 

“Buttons I… I can’t walk,” Jojo told him, feeling more helpless than he had in years. Upon hearing this, Buttons’s face dropped, and he began to tear up.

 

“That’s okay, Henry and I can carry you. You’ll be okay,” Buttons insisted, even though he knew there was no way to save both of them. Footsteps were heard in the distance. Footsteps that all three knew belonged to Snyder.

 

“Go without me,” Jojo pleaded, letting his tears fall.

 

“I’m not leaving you,” Buttons said, his voice cracking.

 

“Buttons…” Henry trailed off, not wanting to state what they all knew was inevitable.

 

“I’m used to this. I’ll be okay. Go beat The World for me, yeah?” Jojo said, crying. He didn’t _want_ them to leave him, but he wouldn’t risk their lives just to save him.

 

“I love you, Jojo,” Henry told him, crying, as he turned around and reached out for Buttons. Buttons, also crying, helped Henry climb out of the window.

 

“I love you,” Buttons stated,  near sobbing as he held Henry up.

 

“I love you both. So much. Don’t forget me, okay?” Jojo’s voice cracked as he said his last words to his boyfriends.

 

“We could never,” Henry stated. Buttons, shaking with sobs, couldn’t muster up enough breath to talk. Footsteps were heard again, this time louder, causing all three of them to cry harder.

 

“Go. If he sees you, none of us get to leave,” Jojo said sadly. He watched, devastated, as Buttons helped Henry down one step of the fire escape, where they had to sit down as they were crying too much to move any further.

 

Buttons and Henry turned toward the window in time to see Snyder grab Jojo’s arm and drag him away. Jojo spared one last glance out the window before being tossed out of the room.

 

The terrified look on Jojo’s face only caused Buttons and Henry to sob more. They held each other on the fire escape, weeping for the loss of their lover.

 

Buttons couldn’t save him.

**Author's Note:**

> leave a comment if you cried, teared up, or were atleast saddened by this!  
> hit me up on tumblr @/lesbian-thespian-from-next-door


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